1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to products coated with a highly shiny film containing a phosphorescent material and/or a fluorescent material. The luminescent-film-coated products according to the present invention are used for, for example, warning/safety signs, position signs, and ornaments.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are conventionally known shiny pigments, including aluminum flake powder, graphite flake particles, glass flakes, silver-coated glass flakes, and mica flake particles or glass flakes coated with a metal oxide such as titanium dioxide and iron oxide. Such shiny pigments show shininess, sparkling with light reflected on their surfaces. Paintwork using paints containing the shiny pigments, line drawings or prints using inks containing the shiny pigments, or resin products produced by molding resin compositions containing the shiny pigments provide a wide variety of beautiful, distinctive appearances in combination with the color tone of a base material (or a substrate for the film). Thus the shiny pigments have a wide range of applications, including automobiles, motorcycles, office automation equipment, cellular phones, household electrical appliances, various printed matters, and writing instruments.
On the other hand, products coated with a film containing a phosphorescent or fluorescent material have a wide variety of applications. Examples of the applications include glow-in-the-dark signs; switches and outlets; flashlights; darkroom items; non-slip stair treads; handrails; baseboards; tiles; floor faces; wall signs; phosphorescent signs; direction signs; various signs for shelter items, survival kits, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, fire alarms, life preservers, smoke control systems, and so forth; markings for indicating the number of stairs; ornaments such as ashtrays, lighters, cigarette cases, necklaces, earrings, tablecloths, door curtains, lampshades, wallpaper, and fibers; toys; angling gear; stationery; novelties; and fishing gear.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-158867 discloses an ink composition produced by mixing a phosphorescent or fluorescent material, a shiny pigment, and a resin to improve the design of handwriting. In this publication, glass flakes coated with nickel or silver are used as the shiny pigment.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-158867, however, has difficulty in achieving sufficient improvements in brightness and design because the shiny pigment, which has the light-shielding metal coating, tends to block light emitted from the phosphorescent or fluorescent material. This problem also occurs if the shiny pigment is replaced with, for example, a metal powder pigment such as an aluminum powder pigment.
On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-130992 discloses techniques for improving the visibility of films using a coating material containing a reflective agent made of glass particles or resin beads and a luminescent agent (fluorescent material). Examples of the techniques disclosed include (1) a monolayer luminescent film containing a reflective agent and a luminescent agent, (2) a bilayer luminescent film including a basecoat containing a luminescent agent and a topcoat containing a reflective agent, and (3) a bilayer luminescent film including a basecoat containing a reflective agent and a topcoat containing a luminescent agent.
Such films, however, exhibit almost no shininess. The techniques disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-130992 therefore have difficulty in improving the design of films.